October 2, 2017: I received some great news last week. My Adult Romance Mystery had a nibble from an editor. It made the first pass and will go to the contract panel, with my requested revisions. She warned there’s no guarantee, but what an awesome opportunity--to receive expert feedback on how to improve the manuscript. I’ve worked on it every day…sometimes until late into the night (11pm IS late into the night for someone who goes to bed at 9pm!) The editor also requested I age the MC. No problem. It didn’t take long to discover what a chore that is. In my case, I aged Alex eight years--which meant everyone connected needed to age, as well. Her language, dress, daily activities…all that changed in some way or another. The reason for the aging process? I marketed the story as New Adult and, according to this Editor, at least, that genre isn’t catching on like anticipated. Of course, I’m trying to sell the story. I’m going for a contract. You bet, I’ll make the requested changes. And have fun doing it! I love this process. It’s that darn first draft that’s hard. This part is the icing on the cake. Forget the fact I missed two home college ballgames, and the opportunity to watch my granddaughter march in the greatest college band in the nation. I have a story to revise! After toiling almost every night, all day Saturday, and half a day on Sunday, I’m almost finished with the first two revisions of a three-part revision plan. The first two were to remove most of the signature tags (he said/she said) and replace them with action so the reader would know who is speaking. Ex.: Alex walked to the door. “Are you coming?” instead of: “Are you coming?” Alex asked. The second revision involved the “find” option in Word. The words I’m finding and replacing (as many as possible) include: have, had, was, is, are, be, just, and that. After this revision is complete, I will print hard copy and proof one final time before returning the manuscript. Here’s hoping, fingers crossed, and prayers said.